to every season

The lovely season of Autumn is starting to peek it's little head out to say hello here at Brindabella. Every year at this time I swear that Autumn is my favourite season of all - what's not to love about these crisp mornings and sunny afternoons? It seems the perfect weather.

Our fire has been lit, firewood dutifully collected each night from the woodshed, our clocks have been turned back an hour and the leaves of our horse chestnut and Chinese pistachio trees are starting to turn bright shades of orange, red, brown and yellow.

On our back porch sits a little nondescript box of sorts. It isn't made of any special kind of wood, in fact it is covered in a type of 1950's-esque lino material, nor is it a beautiful shape or of any specific craftmanship. But it belonged to my grandfather, who I have very distinct memories of sitting on the box in his garage, polishing his boots to perfection before he took me and my sister to church. Inside the box are his old rags and boot polishes, nobody has touched or removed any of it since he died in 1993 and I want to keep it that way forever. 

For now, the box sits happily on our back porch at Brindabella, with some firewood nowadays for company. My dad can't believe that I have it, he can remember the box on the back porch of his childhood home, with Grandpa polishing his boots the same way on a Sunday morning.

Is Autumn rearing it's beautiful head in your part of the world? Or Spring even? You know it's Autumn when there's a pile of firewood by the back door. What heralds the start of Autumn, or any season, for you?


Images by Emma Durkin for Cinderella at Brindabella